Dear Oyster-Adams Families,

Welcome to a new school year! We are filled with joy to open the doors of our campuses and see everyone's faces, from the little ones in PreK to our leaders in 8th grade. This year, I have the honor of sharing in this historic moment with all of you. The completion of our renovation project at Adams represents much more than a new building: it symbolizes our commitment to bilingual education for a new generation of students, and the historical fidelity to our mission. We are the second oldest public bilingual school in the entire country, and the most senior in the northeast, proudly representing DC since 1971. We have faced down over 50 years of challenges, and we will continue to forge excellence by overcoming them together.

Throughout the week —and this very weekend— our teachers and school staff are working with extraordinary dedication to prepare the classrooms to welcome the students. At Adams, due to construction delays, we were only able to move into the building this Monday. The families who came this Thursday to participate in our initial orientations were able to appreciate the architectural beauty and the work we have ahead of us! For this reason, we will continue to see construction teams throughout this fall, as there are details to finalize in several areas of the campus. We assure you that we are carefully coordinating to ensure that teaching is not interrupted and that all safety measures are in place. At Oyster, we will hold our initial orientations next week, and I am excited to see you all again!

Our students in the brand new Discovery Commons!

Although nothing can take away our joy to start a school year, we also know that we are beginning amidst significant challenges in our city, marked by the increasing presence of federal agencies in DC. We want to reaffirm that, as a school community, our priority has always been the solidarity and protection of our people. For this reason, we are taking reasonable precautions for everyone's well-being. We invite you to carefully read Dr. Fortson's section, particularly the updates on Safety Protocols in DCPS schools. All that information in that section is essential to ensure that our students arrive and return home with confidence and peace of mind.

This new campus and this new school cycle are an opportunity to reaffirm who we are: a resilient bilingual community committed to our students. We are excited to live this year with you, with the certainty that, together, we will continue honoring our history and building a bright path for the next generation.

With gratitude and hope,

Carolina Brito, Principal of Oyster-Adams Bilingual School